This is the best and easiest Deer Bacon Recipe! Learn how to make a small and simple 5-pound batch of ground and formed deer bacon (or venison bacon) that easily fits in a 9 X 13 pan using some of your deer from this season.
There are other Venison Bacon recipes out there, but almost all of them are for bigger batches of 10 pounds, 15 pounds, and even 25 pounds. I developed this recipe for all of you who just want to try it and see if you like it before committing to a large batch. I also hope you will appreciate the fact that it all easily fits in a 9 X 13 pan.
If you are anything like me, you have lots of stuff going on in your refrigerator right now. A giant meat tub filled with 25 pounds of deer bacon taking up the majority of space in your fridge for a couple of days may not be appreciated by family members or roommates. But a 9 X 13 pan can just slide right underneath a carton of eggs, taking no room at all.
Everything is Better with Deer Bacon
This venison bacon recipe takes the succulent, gamey flavor of venison and infuses it with smoky, savory bacon goodness. Perfect for hunters who want to use every part of the deer, or for adventurous foodies looking to expand their culinary horizons, deer bacon is a versatile and flavorful ingredient that can be used in a variety of dishes.
Whether you're looking to fry it up for breakfast and serve it with your eggs, add it to a sandwich for lunch, or crumble it on top of a salad for dinner, this recipe will show you how to make the perfect deer bacon every time.
Unlike traditional pork bacon, this venison bacon is made from a combination of ground venison and ground pork instead of a whole muscle meat like pork belly.
Because venison is extremely lean, the pork is added to create that mouthwatering fattiness we all love in traditional bacon. A mixture of cure and a smoke adds that crispy, smoky bacon flavor to this venison bacon recipe.
Ingredients for How to Make Deer Bacon
- ground venison
- ground pork
- curing salt (Instacure No. 1)
- kosher salt
- non-fat dried powdered milk
- brown sugar
- liquid smoke
- onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried mustard, and black pepper
Why Do We Use Powdered Milk?
1. Improves Binding and Texture
- Non-fat dried milk contains proteins like casein, which act as binders. These proteins help hold water and fat in deer bacon and sausage mixtures, creating a stable emulsion. This reduces the likelihood of fat separating out during cooking (a process knows as "fat-out").
- By binding the ingredients, it improves the bacon's overall texture, making it smoother and more cohesive.
2. Enhances moisture Rentention
- The milk powder absorbs water and retains it during cooking. This leads to juicier venison bacon by reducing moisture loss, particularly when the bacon is exposed to heat.
4. Extends Shelf Life
- The lactose (milk sugar) and proteins in non-fat powdered milk help maintain freshness by holding moisture and preventing the bacon from drying out too quickly.
5. Neutral Flavor Contribution
- Non-fat dried milk adds no noticeable dairy flavor to the venison bacon, allowing the venison, pork, and seasonings to shine.
6. Encourages Protein Network Formation
- When mixed with the venison and pork, the proteins in the milk powder interact with the myosin in the meat. This interaction enhances the formation of a protein matrix, further stabilizing the bacon structure.
Why Non-Fat Powdered Milk?
Stability: Non-fat dried milk has a longer shelf life and is less prone to rancidity than whole fat options, which is particularly important in processed meat products.
How to Make Venison Bacon
1. Place the ground venison and ground pork in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, combine curing salt, salt, powdered milk, brown sugar, liquid smoke, and seasonings with the cold water. Mix well, then pour the mixture over the meat.
3. Mix the venison and pork with your hands until the seasoning is well incorporated, and the meat becomes tacky.
4. Line a 9 X 13 pan with plastic wrap and press meat mixture evenly into pan to eliminate air pockets so it's about 2-inches thick. Cover meat with more plastic wrap and set in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight (up to 2 days).
5. Preheat smoker to 200 degrees F.
6. Remove the top plastic wrap and gently invert the pan onto your smoker rack and lift away the pan. Peel away and discard the plastic wrap that lined the pan.
7. Smoke the bacon at 200 degrees F until the internal temp reaches 150 degrees F using an instant-read meat thermometer. (With my electric Masterbuilt smoker, this took about 2 ½ hours.)
8. Remove the bacon from the smoker and allow it to cool on a wire rack.
9. Slice the bacon on a meat slicer or on a cutting board with a sharp knife.
How to Use Deer Bacon
Some of our favorite ways to use deer bacon are these recipes:
Deer Bacon with Asparagus and Eggs
Wedge Salad with Venison Bacon and Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing
Come Deer Hunting in North Dakota
If you are headed our way for North Dakota deer season, check out the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here.
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DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE
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The BEST Deer Bacon Recipe - Ground & Formed Venison Bacon
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground venison
- 3 pounds ground pork
- 1 teaspoon curing salt (Instacure No. 1)
- 2 ½ Tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 cup non-fat dried powdered milk
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried mustard
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 cup cold water
Instructions
- Place the ground venison and ground pork in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine curing salt, salt, powdered milk, brown sugar, liquid smoke, and seasonings with the cold water. Mix well, then pour the mixture over the meat.
- Mix the venison and pork with your hands until the seasoning is well incorporated, and the meat becomes tacky.
- Line a 9 X 13 pan with plastic wrap and press meat mixture evenly into pan to eliminate air pockets so it's about 2-inches thick. Cover meat with more plastic wrap and set in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight (up to 2 days).
- Preheat smoker to 200 degrees F.
- Remove the top plastic wrap and gently invert the pan onto your smoker rack and lift away the pan. Peel away and discard the plastic wrap that lined the pan.
- Smoke the bacon at 200 degrees F until the internal temp reaches 150 degrees F using an instant-read meat thermometer. (With my electric Masterbuilt smoker, this took about 2 ½ hours.)
- Slice the bacon on a meat slicer or on a cutting board with a sharp knife.
- Vacuum seal bacon in 1 or 2 lb. packages and freeze for long-term storage.
- When you're ready to eat it, fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until it's as crispy as you like it.
Barb says
Do you happen to have a vegetarian version of this recipe? JUST KIDDING!! 😂 I couldn't resist. 😁
Jeff Benda says
You can make this salad https://wildgameandfish.com/loaded-lettuce-venison-bacon/ and just leave off the bacon 🙂
Bob says
This is one we make all the time. Quick fry up and delicious...
Kathy says
Great stuff!
Jeff Benda says
Thanks Kathy. Glad you like it.
Penni Harden says
Would this work for elk?
Jeff Benda says
Penni - Absolutely! Any ground venison would work, including deer, moose, antelope, caribou, or elk.
Anonymous says
What format of pork do you grind? Tenderloin is too lean. Pork shoulder?
Jeff Benda says
Boston Butt - Pork Shoulder
Carl says
What part does the powdered milk play…totally understand the cure and seasons, but milk seems out of place.
Jeff Benda says
Great question Carl! The powdered milk is used as a binder. It helps us get a juicier final product for this deer bacon recipe, but also works well when making deer sausage too. Some may tell you it's not needed if the sausage is mixed properly, but I've found it helps me a ton.
RMD says
Just wondering why add liquid smoke if using a smoker?
Jeff Benda says
Great question. I experimented with this recipe for a very long time and without the liquid smoke, my wife always lamented that it needed just a little more of a smoky flavor, so I added the liquid smoke and it made a huge difference.
Mrs. D says
This recipe is great! I did 2x the recipe, used my grill at 175-200 instead of smoker (issues with it) I also used pork tenderloin. Next time I will try pork picnic roast, half liquid smoke (not a huge fan of it), try the smoker, and do a 50/50 combo. Other than changing a few things to our families taste, this was an amazing recipe!
Randy says
What is the reason for adding powdered milk?
Jeff Benda says
Great question Randy! Such a great question that I just updated the recipe to answer it.
Yvonne Fowler says
Can I cook/bake this in my oven and if so how?
Jeff Benda says
Great question Yvonne. It should work, but you might want to add a little more liquid smoke to get the full smoky bacon flavor. But now I'm interested to find out myself and promise to try it out sometime before Christmas and revise the recipe with my findings.
Anonymous says
Thank you for responding. I'm actually going to make it today. I'm going to bake it on a 185° and see how it turns out.!
Jeremy says
Do you have to fry it up or can you it eat it cold ?
Jeff Benda says
If you plan to eat it cold, just be sure when you pull it out of the smoker, it has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F for food safety precautions since it contains pork. The recipe states 150 degrees F on the premise that you'll be heating it up again after slicing and before eating.
Jerry Nordby says
Sounds like a good one , haven't tried it yet but will.
Kevin Hicks says
If you don't smoke it in smoker but use oven what amount of liquid smoke should I use
Jeff Benda says
Great question Kevin. I would try using 1 1/2 Tablespoons instead of 1 Tablespoon if you are going to try making it in the oven instead of a smoker.
Alan says
what plate do you use for grinding?
Jeff Benda says
I used a 4.5mm fine grinding plate with my Cabelas Commercial Grade Carnivore Grinder.
Larry says
I used beef fat and 3 tbsp’s of liquid smoke and used an oven. It turned out great.
Jeff Benda says
Glad to hear that Larry. I'm so happy to hear you liked it!
Val says
I wasn't sure about this, but convinced my husband we should try it before paying so much $ for a 25 lb mix from our butcher. So glad we did. We love it!
Jeff Benda says
Thanks Val! So happy to hear you two enjoyed it!